It’s a little hard to plan wonderful experiences. Mostly, they just happen and the trick is, when they do, savor them in the present moment. Kevin, my brother, is very good in this practice. But, if one simply sits around waiting for peak experiences the odds are probably against encountering a lot of them. Hence, my plans for a father/sons outing: the 2008 Music City Football Bowl.

First of all, you can’t plan the weather. It was cold, 39 degrees at game time, with a steady 10-15 mph wind out of the (cold) north. Second, you can’t outwit viruses, either; they have their own ways of working around human desires. I contracted my first head cold of the season two days before the game and dragged myself through work duties, then committed myself to the game despite the way I felt. Third, the two teams playing in the bowl were of course unknown at the time I bought the tickets. When the selection was made, hometown team Vanderbilt was one of the contestants. The Commodores traveled about three miles to their first bowl game in over 20 years. Boston College was Vandy’s opponent, and seemed the favorite as they had gone the ACC Championship game this season and had a much better record.

So Andrew, Greg, and Greg’s friend Jorge piled into the car and off we went. I tried to tell the boys that they didn’t have enough clothes to keep warm, but being thirteen years old they know lots more than parents do about such things. It was pretty chilly, and it didn’t help that we were in the shaded section of the stadium as the sun went down. Nonetheless, I didn’t get cold. Here’s the list of what I used to stay warm:

• Hiking Boots
• Inner wool socks
• Electric wool socks
• Polyethylene long johns
• Ski pants
• Polyethylene top
• Wool Top
• Windstopper hunting sweater
• Neck gaiter
• Ski Parka
• Biking skull cap
• Sock cap
• Neoprene hunting gloves

I also brought three extra pairs of gloves (all of which got used) and a large bandana (for my nose).

Well, to make a long story short, we left after the third quarter. The temperature had dropped to 34 degrees. The gameplay was pretty poor and the boys were cold. But I wasn't! Being prepared makes a difference, and reinforces the principle that there isn't really any weather one can't be outside in with the proper clothing. The best part of the game might have been the hot chocolate, as seen above. Why does hot liquid taste so much better when you're cold?

As a father-sons experience it might have been less than ideal, but I'm glad we went. As Clint Eastwood has been quoted: "We've come this far, why ruin it by thinking?"

By the way, Vanderbilt won.

Tags: football, weather